What do our accomplishments in space add up to?

[ToSeek]

A thought-provoking article: The Outstretched Empty Hand of American Space Efforts

[Tzuk_Te]

An interesting read, thanks ToSeek!

I too believe that commercial exploitation of space is a must for us to have any long term presence in space. But, the following questions occur to me and I don't have any answers:

1. How much would it cost to get private companies in to space and what can they reasonable expect to get back? Would government subsidies help? What about access to NASA experience? (men, materials, information, technology)

2. Is there anyting in low earth orbit, or even to the Moon, that a private company would be interested in? What about the asteroid belt? I remember seeing somewhere that there wasn't really all that much usable in the Belt.

I can certainly see the benefits for a government to access space, both militarily as well as commericially, but I'm not sure private corporations will be interested until the cost to access LEO and beyond is much lower. But I really want to see us, as a race, in space before I leave here...

Tzuk Te

[Tzuk_Te]

An interesting read, thanks ToSeek!

I too believe that commercial exploitation of space is a must for us to have any long term presence in space. But, the following questions occur to me and I don't have any answers:

1. How much would it cost to get private companies in to space and what can they reasonable expect to get back? Would government subsidies help? What about access to NASA experience? (men, materials, information, technology)

2. Is there anyting in low earth orbit, or even to the Moon, that a private company would be interested in? What about the asteroid belt? I remember seeing somewhere that there wasn't really all that much usable in the Belt.

I can certainly see the benefits for a government to access space, both militarily as well as commericially, but I'm not sure private corporations will be interested until the cost to access LEO and beyond is much lower. But I really want to see us, as a race, in space before I leave here...

Tzuk Te

[eburacum45]

The Moon is the key to the rest of the solar system, in my opinion; unfortunately my plans for that body result in the top layers being skimmed off and sent into space, using mass driver technology, to become vast swarms of photovoltaic energy collectors and to build more spacecraft to spread out into the rest of the solar system; our dear old moon wont look like itself for very long.

Eventually the wealth of elements available in the asteroid belt will start coming back to Earth Orbit; whatever makes you say there isn't much there?

The asteroids have about a tenth of the mass of the Earth, with a wide range of mettalic and non metallic elements, conveniently ground up into accessible pieces;
the more distant ones will have water, too, and if they don't satisfy the liquid needs of the Solar System's growing population the Moons of Jupiter and Saturn, and particularly the rings, would provide oceans of water galore.

There is enough water to terraform the Moon, Mars, and (with certain obstacles removed) Venus;
millions of self contained habitats as well, holding billions of more people.

But it all starts with the Moon.
Forget Mars; that can wait.